Peerie Shop Cafe - Shetland Islands

Located at the back of a charming homewares gift shop, this cafe offers basic seating downstairs and table booths upstairs. The service was average, as only one of the three staff members behind the counter seemed capable of taking orders. It was slightly inconvenient when she had to deliver another customer's order before attending to ours, but understandable. The other two employees appeared to have nothing to do besides chatting. The coffee, served in paper cups for on-site consumption, was not very eco-friendly and not what I was expecting or hoping for.

Peerie Shop Cafe was our first stop after getting off the ferry from Aberdeen. We were a little wary, as we were lugging heavy backpacks with us, but found ourselves welcomed by the staff. We decamped to the upstairs with our bags and enjoyed our first coffee on Shetland. The staff were warm and chatty, and were more than happy for us to settle at a table upstairs while we were waiting to check in at our B&B later on in the day (joking after an hour or so that we didn't need a table number, as we were now regulars . We popped in as many times as we could over the next few days. The Cullen Skink was cracking, the Sassermeat Softies were filling, and the coffee and tea soothing (especially given the chilly weather outside! We absolutely didn't mind our drinks and food being served in recyclable containers, after all, every little helps where the environment is concerned. Well worth a visit. Lovely food, lovely ambience, lovely people.

What a shame Have been to this café many times and it used to be great Now it has completely changed No seats downstairs only small stools with holes in the middle There used to be tables there Asked if we could go upstairs where there is proper tables Given a block with a number on Ordered coffee and cake for myself and son which duly came in carry out cardboard cups and the cakes were in a paper bag even though we were sitting in We were told abruptly to put our rubbish in a large pink bin placed at the top of the stairs when we were finished which we duly did and found it to be over flowing and needing to be emptied The table was filthy covered in bits of cheese from previous occupant and we had to brush them aside ourselves No one came to clean it The coffee and cake were nice but would have been nicer in a proper coffee cup and a plate I don’t know what they are trying to do but they are failing miserably Won’t be back

I asked for a coffee (around lunchtime) to drink in the cafe, ie not as a take-away. The person making the drink proceeded to make the coffee in a paper cup despite having plenty of china cups in full view. I remonstrated and said, once again, that I did not want a (wasteful) paper cup. That's all we do said the young man. No flexibility. Peerie minded? Will not go there again.

Discriminates against people who are lactose intolerant. I was charged an extra 25p for oat milk. Go elsewhere. Better to go to a cafe that is ignorant than to one that is greedy.